As the human population continues to increase, there is a growing need for additional food sources, particularly food sources that are inexpensive to produce but nutritious. Moreover, the current reliance on meat as the staple of many diets, at least in the most developed countries, contributes significantly to the release of greenhouse gases. There is a need for new foodstuffs that are less harmful to the environment to produce.
Requiring only “water and sunlight” to grow, algae have long been looked to as a potential source of food. While certain types of algae, primarily seaweed, do indeed provide important foodstuffs for human consumption, the promise of algae as a foodstuff has not been fully realized. Algal powders made with algae grown photosynthetically in outdoor ponds or photobioreactors are commercially available but have a deep green color (from the chlorophyll) and a strong, unpleasant taste. When formulated into food products or as nutritional supplements, these algal powders impart a visually unappealing green color to the food product or nutritional supplement and have unpleasant fish, seaweed or other flavors.
There are several species of algae that are used in foodstuffs today, most being macroalgae such as kelp, purple layer (Porphyra, used in nori), dulse (Palmaria palmate) and sea lettuce (Ulva lactuca). Microalgae, such as Spirulina (Arthrospira platensis) are grown commercially in open ponds (photosynthetically) for use as a nutritional supplement or incorporated in small amounts in smoothies or juice drinks (usually less than 0.5% w/w). Other microalgae, including some species of Chlorella are popular in Asian countries as a nutritional supplement.
Poor flavor is a major factor that has impeded the widespread adoption of microalgae in food. WO2010/12093 discloses methods of making and using microalgal biomass as a food. That reference discloses the growth of microalgae in the dark, to produce a microalgal biomass. However, further improvements in flavor of microalgal biomass should promote further adoption.